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4.32 AVERAGE
4.32 AVERAGE
Political insight is fascinating but the pace gets very sluggish in parts.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
I read this years ago and can't remember the detail too much. What sticks are the shocking stories and that I read this rather long book in days rather than weeks - it was so gripping.
It's been quite a while since a book has impacted me as this one has. It is brilliantly written - and read by Pik-Sen Lim on the audiobook I listened to - to create a compelling narrative of true events. I can't imagine there's a single better book to read to get an understanding of 20th Century China, and the effects that Chairman Mao had on the country, though I can't wait to read the biography that Jung Chang has written on Mao himself.
Still banned in mainland China.
Eye-opening account of the turbulent years of communist China through the lives of 3 generations of women from pre-communist era, through cultural revolution, to the threshold of modernized China. Communism in its ideals vs. real life manifestations played out so distinctly through this family’s memoir.
Eye-opening account of the turbulent years of communist China through the lives of 3 generations of women from pre-communist era, through cultural revolution, to the threshold of modernized China. Communism in its ideals vs. real life manifestations played out so distinctly through this family’s memoir.
5/5*
An incredible generational memoir of twentieth century China.
An incredible generational memoir of twentieth century China.
I WISH I could have liked this more, especially as it was a gift from my friend, but I put it down and I simply could not pick it back up. I may watch a documentary based on the stories or read it again in a few years' time. Sorry 😫
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Grief, Colonisation
Real rating: 3.5 stars
An incredible story, if chilling at times. It's amazing (and unfortunate) that her family was right in the thick of everything. A terrifying glimpse into the day-to-day of Communist China under Mao. But I think it could have used more focus. Fewer years, more detail, more dialogue. I know that's hard with non-fiction, but it would have added a lot to the story. As it was, it never felt in the moment. And with so much misery (with a few bright sparks of heroism and honor), more personal touches would have been appreciated.
An incredible story, if chilling at times. It's amazing (and unfortunate) that her family was right in the thick of everything. A terrifying glimpse into the day-to-day of Communist China under Mao. But I think it could have used more focus. Fewer years, more detail, more dialogue. I know that's hard with non-fiction, but it would have added a lot to the story. As it was, it never felt in the moment. And with so much misery (with a few bright sparks of heroism and honor), more personal touches would have been appreciated.
Fascinating if quite long -- she tells the story of China through the 20th century by relating the stories of her grandmother, mother and herself as they varyingly suffered, survived and thrived. Learned a lot and enjoyed the journey.
Read this. It made me horribly angry and depressed at times but it made me understand a lot more about Mao and the Cultural Revolution, and it's incredibly well-written. And when you've read this, read "Do Not Say We Have Nothing" by Madeleine Thien